Our Promised Land
by thisonewillworkforsure
Summary: A collection of Cloud x Aerith one shots. Some take place during the game while others are AU.
1. Table of Contents

**Table of Contents**

 **2\. Stay with me**

Word Count - 784

Genre - Romance

Summary - Takes place at Cosmo Canyon during the night after the talk at the bonfire. Cloud tells her what we wanted to say earlier.

 **3\. Repetition**

Word Count - 3021

Genre - Angst

Summary - A retelling of Cloud's day leaving the bouquet of flowers at the forgotten city from Case of Tifa. It is in Cloud's POV.

 **4\. Hero of Two Worlds**

Word Count: 2539

Genre - Romance

Pairings: Cloud x Aerith and minor Ramza x Agrias

Summary - Takes place after both Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy Tactics, just with Aerith alive. Cloud brings Aerith to Ivalice to meet Ramza and Agrias.

 **5\. A Jealous Cloud**

Word Count - 891

Genre - Humor

Summary - Takes place at Gongaga, when Aerith is talking to Cloud about Zack. He doesn't take it well and Aerith tries to get him to admit it.

 **6\. Roleplay**

Word Count - 1068

Genre - Romance/ Humor

Summary - Takes place at Great Glacier when they are on their way to the crater. Cloud and Aerith accidentally get lost, leaving them alone.

 **7\. Draw!**

Word Count - 1223

Genre - General

Summary - Takes place in the American wild west. Cloud and Aerith have an agreement in this one, but it's a little bit different from the main game.

 **8\. Merry Christmas Cloud**

Word Count - 3535

Genre - General

Summary - Cloud and Aerith with their seven year old Sora try to celebrate Christmas, but an unexpected foe arises to take Christmas for himself. Originally three chapters, it is now merged into one.

 **9\. Battle of Wills**

Word Count - 1975

Genre - Romance

Summary - Takes place two years after the game. On Cloud and Aerith's one year anniversary, Cloud has to work a double shift as a delivery man. Yuffie stops by and tells Aerith of a way she can "persuade" him to not work that evening.

 **10\. Puppy Love**

Word Count - 1451

Genre - General

Summary - Everyone is seven years old and students. Cloud and Aerith spend a Friday afternoon together, despite the taunting from their peers.


	2. Stay With Me

Cloud moved fitfully on his bed. No matter how hard he tried to sleep, something told him to go outside. After a few more futile turns back and forth, he gave in to his instincts. He slowly rolled off the bed and made his way outside.

He walked towards the bonfire, it was still burning brightly. When he drew closer, Cloud realized he wasn't alone. He saw Aerith sitting on the ground as she did earlier.

Cloud was thankful he came outside, he wasn't wrong after all. He didn't know how late it was, but it had to have been deep in the night for everyone else to be sleeping. He knew a lot was on her mind, but he wanted to make sure she doesn't spend the whole night outside.

The blond approached her from behind. "Aerith, why are you still up?"

Aerith turned to face him, her lips curved upward knowing that he was here. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Are you still thinking about what the elders said?" Cloud noticed that she was sitting on a green blanket with her legs stretched out. There was enough room for himself to join, so he took the spot next to her.

"Yeah." Aerith nodded. Cloud turned to her, waiting for her to speak more but she stayed silent. He wasn't accustomed to see the Cetra in such a somber mood, and it pained him to see her like this. He had to say something to help.

"We're here to help Aerith." Cloud said, his mako blue eyes fixed on hers. "I know that we aren't Cetras and I can't understand what you are going through, but… you don't have to go through this alone. Let us help you."

He could see the words having an effect on her. She didn't look as crestfallen as before. She smiled while moving her head downward then turned towards the blond. "Thanks Cloud."

"No problem." He spared a nod. Aerith felt better, now he had to get her to go to bed. He started to get up. "Come on Aerith, let's-"

"Wait." Aerith interjected, grabbing Cloud's arm. "Can you stay with me? Just for a little bit?"

The blond stared at Aerith, how could he say no to those green eyes? "Of course." Was all he said before sitting back down next to the Cetra. They were both silent, listening to the crackling sound of the bonfire while looking up at the star studded night sky. Aerith leaned on Cloud. He looked at her and saw her eyes were closed, he put his arm around her so she wouldn't fall down.

"You know, I heard you right?" Aerith said in a whisper, which made Cloud look at her quizzically.

"Heard what?" he asked her.

"I'm here for you. You tried to change it to 'We're'" Aerith opened her eyes and looked at her bodyguard, noticing the shocked look on his face.

"I didn't want to say it in front of everyone." Cloud said with a surprised tone in his voice. He spent the evening thinking he covered it up so well, now he wondered if the others heard him too.

"They're not here now…" The Cetra reminded him.

"It's what I wanted to say. I'm here for you Aerith." He tightened his hold on her.

"That was what I wanted to hear you say." Aerith admitted, happy that Cloud meant it.

She started to grow tired. She fought off a yawn and began to drift more and more towards the ground, bringing Cloud with her.

"Aerith," Cloud started, they now both laid flat on the blanket, with his arm still around her. "You want to just-"

"In a minute." Aerith cut him off with a weary voice. "Just…a minute."

Cloud wanted to talk her into getting up, but he couldn't even convince himself right now. He was outside on the hard ground, and yet he felt more comfortable here than on the bed in his house, for Aerith was with him.

"OK, just for a minute."

Cloud held her in closer, he would rather she rested on him than the rocks. He stared at her, admiring her beauty and how peaceful she looked with her eyes closed; it was soothing to him. He began to feel it himself, his eyes began to close slowly. He tried to fight it, but he choose to indulge it instead by keep telling himself that it was, "just for a minute"

They had no chance. Before they knew it, they both fell asleep, with the flower girl in the arms of her bodyguard. They continued to be there for each other, with the stars being their witness.


	3. Repetition

Client Name - Elmyra Gainsborough

Delivery Item - Bouquet

Destination - The Forgotten City

In my office, I hold the binding slip with one hand and rest my head on the other. Looking at it and thinking about what I will do today brings a pain to my heart. As if I needed something to remind me about you, I planned on never going back to that place ever again.

But I told Elmyra I would do this, it's the least I can do for her. I grimly toss aside the slip and grab the bouquet before making my way out of the office. Fortunately, nobody else seems to be around, I don't feel like explaining myself right now.

It's morning, so I can hopefully make it there and back sometime around nightfall. I spot Fenrir and make my way to my motorcycle. Fenrir roars as I start it up. With the bouquet in my hand, I take a deep breath before hitting the gas and start this accursed job.

The road is quiet, it doesn't take long for me to get out of the city. The trees from uninhabited plains greet me soon after, there was nobody near me for miles except for monsters. At least for now it's just like any other delivery, and I'm fine with that.

To be honest, I enjoy these lonely rides a lot. When I am on the road I don't have to answer to anybody; I don't need to tell monsters why I'm here. Recently when people to approach me, it feels like they are trying to dissect my heart. They talk to me and feel that they understand. But the truth is that they don't, nobody does. I'm shackled to this pain, it will not go away until I see you again.

Even now I glance at the flowers and question whether I can actually go there. The thought of turning back to Elmyra's house and telling her I'm sorry is very tempting, but I just keep making my way to the forgotten city. As much as it kills me to go back, I will do it because it's what you would want.

But I have always made my decisions based on what I thought you would've wanted me to do. I'm not the only person grieving, I've seen others go through it too. I saw Barret's friend Dyne lose his wife and ultimately his soul in the process. Sephiroth felt the need to take his loss out on the world, it became fuel for his narcissistic interests.

It would've been easy for me to act on selfish desires but I decided to do things differently; I fought to save the planet. I know even now you are watching over me, and I know the best way I can honor you now is to carry out your will. You sacrificed yourself to give us all a chance to live, I had to do everything to make sure it wasn't in vain. But the selfish thoughts never go away. Everyday I consider taking my own life just to be with you again but I quickly reject it, knowing you won't approve of it.

But I need to stop thinking about this, I took a wrong turn because of my mind being lost in thought, and I'm not making good time. With renewed focus I press on the gas further and speed up, taking in the breeze.

Nodding to myself, I decide that I am going to try my best to hold it in, it wouldn't do me any good if I just let these thoughts linger. If I were to run into a strong monster, I don't need my body here but my soul somewhere else.

Oddly enough, no monsters have shown themselves. The rides on these deliveries vary on how many encounters I come across. Since none are around so far, I make up some lost time. I don't take long reaching Bone Village, now that I'm not making wrong turns.

I jump off Fenrir and look at my surroundings. The sun is high up, must be around noon. It's colder here than back at home, I can see my breath. The locals don't bother to give me a second look, we all have things we have to do, I likewise treat them the same and make my way to the sleeping forest.

It doesn't seem any different than before. The green light is there just like last time, so the plan is the same; I will just follow it to head to the city. As I make my way forward, I feel…something holding me back. I can't explain what it is, but I stop and turn my head to the right. And right in front of me, I see myself, or some kind of vision of myself slowly falling down to the ground. Anxiety tackles my heart. Why am I seeing this? Something isn't right here. I dart my eyes around, looking for anything else different and…

No…

It's you, you fall down in front of my vision self. It's clear to me now, this is the last time we talked, just replaying. I look on with dread at us talking for the final time before you run away. Try as I might, I couldn't reach you.

And then I heard a voice from above the trees. "Hmmm…. She's thinking of interfering. She will be a difficult one, don't you think?"

My blood boils, it's a voice I can never forget. He floats down right in front of me. My arm starts shaking uncontrollably.

"We must stop that girl soon." Sephiroth said with an air of confidence. I know what I'm seeing is not real, but I can't help it. I grit my teeth in indignation at his words, rational thought was not my friend here.

In a fit of rage I draw my sword. "Don't you dare touch her!" I shout as I slash him, but it feels like I'm swinging through thin air. The apparition dissolves and vanishes before my eyes. It confirms what I already know, it wasn't real.

I shake my head, trying to pull myself together. I'm not even in the city yet and I am seeing things. I tightly clutch the bouquet of flowers in my other hand and with a newfound resolve, I make my way towards the light.

The way in the city is really quiet. I don't know why I haven't seen any monsters, must be really lucky. I then scoff at my last thought, to use the word "lucky" in a place like this. But I eventually make it deeper into the capital. If I didn't hate this place so much I would call it beautiful. The architecture is definitely original, I don't know any other place like it, it's like something out of a fairy tale.

I then think of you, and wonder how you felt when you came here on your own, the awe you must've been in to be in the city of your people. During our journey you learned more and more about the Cetras, perhaps it was all meant to be, just to get you here. I just wish I could've been with you, to be by your side as you went through this.

I break out of my reverie and realize that I am outside of the altar. The white light shines over the still blue water, as it did before. This is the place, this is your resting place. Before I am overcome again, I build a dam to blank out the thoughts.

Now is not the time.

Now is not… the time.

With the flowers still in my hand I walk towards the center of the lake.

But then I see it again. Another vision, this time of when I laid you in the water for your eternal slumber. I see the devastated expression I wore as I let you slowly sink in the water. Before you are completely overtaken by the lake I look at your face, your smile-less face, and I feel something inside, breaking at the thought that for the rest of days, you won't smile anymore. I remember your face, it's my fondest memory. Before the final battle with Sephiroth the image in my mind that appeared the most was your smile, and how much I wanted to bring it back to you.

And before I know it, the vision is gone. I gather my bearings and approach that spot to gently set the bouquet in the water. It will drop down to you, slowly but surely.

"It's from Elmyra." I say, actually believing that you are listening. And suddenly, memories of you come flooding to me. Memories of meeting you for the first time; the time we spent at Cosmo Canyon; the date we had at the gold saucer. I knew you for such a short time, but you have shown me so many things. You made me feel so many things I never had the pleasure of experiencing before. I was looking forward to living a full life with you where we would share our memories together. Maybe even have raise a family.

Solemnly I choose to speak from the heart. "I…miss you Aerith. I never stopped missing you, and I don't think I ever will. Please, if you hear me, give me a sign. Let me know that you hear me. I need you Aerith, I can't do this alone."

I fight a tear and look around for some kind of sign, but there is nothing here, just silence. I make my way out of the water, preparing to go home and to try and forget about today.

But for some god-forsaken reason, I look at the walkway to the altar and consider walking inside. It's the dumbest idea I ever had and yet, I feel inexplicably drawn to it. And I feel close to my limit here, I don't think I can take one more vision. But against all human judgment, I walk around the lake and make my way inside.

I see the pillars that separate me from the altar. I jump across them like I did that fateful day and slowly walk up the stairs. I look around, something is odd. The room itself is the same, but the bloodstains are gone. Did someone else come here since then? Who knows. I feel the temptation that made me come here dwindle away, so I turn around and begin to depart.

I was about to walk down the stairs but I see someone walking up them. I stay at the top, waiting for this person to show himself. The man shuffles up the stairs and with grief I recognize who it is.

It's me.

I stood motionless, is the world truly this merciless to force me to see this memory again? My vision counterpart walks past me. With dreaded curiosity, I turn my shoulder, and sure it enough, there was you, silently praying, almost oblivious to my arrival.

I see myself raising the buster sword, prepared to kill you. I remember fighting it with every fiber of my being. I didn't care how strong his control over me was, there was no way I would've let that happen to you.

Then I see myself stop and you look up smiling, while holding your hands together. I know it isn't real but I feel a shot of warmth through me, just to see your smile again. I could gaze at you for hours. Your joy was stronger than any potion or magic, it healed every part of me.

But my relief leaves me. I feel a sharp pain in my heart, knowing what will happen next; I see him jumping down. I try to move, but I can't. I struggle and attempt to move everything, just to get to you. I don't want to see what happens next. Please, please don't let me see this.

In a moment of desperation, I try to warn you. "Get away! Get away from him!" But you don't move, and remain a victim of Sephiroth's sword. He comes down, his weapon landing through you. You slouch over, your life gone in the blink of an eye.

"NOOOOOO!" I exclaim at the top of my lungs. The grief is just as strong as before, I feel myself breaking down. Everything I tried to hold back is flooding out of me. I squeeze my eyes shut, but the tears come out. I try to close my mouth but I can't stop screaming. Why!? Why do I have to see all these things again!?

And the smile, your beautiful smile is now gone, replaced by the smile of that sadistic bastard. I see him looking at me, fully aware of what he did, and he is proud of it. Even now I wonder, he had to have been there for a long time, waiting for me to show up just so I can see him to do the sin in person. Did he want to see me suffer so much that he was willing to risk his own plans? Was my pain that valuable to him!?

I'm able to move again now. I roar in a fit of uncontrollable anger and I try to keep slashing him. Just like the other vision of Sephiroth, this one is not real too. But I don't care! I don't want to stop, I don't want to ever stop! I want him to suffer. I want him to understand what it's like to lose the most important person in your life right in front of you. He could spend an eternity in hell and it wouldn't be enough for him.

I eventually wore myself out, long after the vision was gone. I fiercely toss my sword aside and fall to my knees with my hands covering my face. I don't know what to do, so I stayed there and wept. I can't run from this memory, it haunts me, and I did everything I could to help mend the pain. I saved the planet, I defeated Sephiroth, but it's not enough! I see everyone moving on like nothing ever happened, like we won.

But I didn't win. No matter how many times I defeat Sephiroth, no matter how much time passes since that awful day, he will always have the last laugh over me, and I can never ever let it go.

I don't know for how long I stayed there, but I notice the teardrops making their mark on the floor, my hands are wet from them. I need to get out of here.

After who knows how long I make my way out of the capital to reach the sleeping forest and then Bone Village. It is already night fall, so much for my plan of getting home by this time. I thought about staying here for the night, but I just want to ride on Fenrir right now, to get away from everything. I sit on my motorcycle and make my way back.

Monsters are around this time, maybe they just like to be out at night? I'm able to kill them with ease. I feel constantly at my limit, whenever I swing my sword a beam of light materialized from the top edge, which disintegrates my enemies upon impact. They were weak, but it wouldn't have been bad if they were strong too, then maybe they can do me the favor of putting me out of my misery.

I make it to Seventh Heaven. I walk inside and notice nobody was here. Oh yeah, that's right, the bar is closed now. I turn to the shelf and gaze at the large variety of drinks. I don't drink often, it's something I don't enjoy. And I know it wouldn't be the right thing to do. I keep thinking about what you would want me to do right now, but I just need something. I need some kind of break here.

I am sorry Aerith, just let me do this, just this one time.

I grab a glass and pour some liquor in it. I don't care what kind it is as long as it does it's job. I quickly hoist the glass and drain it completely before slamming it back down and stare at the bottle. I decide to have a couple of more shots.

While enjoying the drinks, the door opens. I turn to see Tifa, who spares me a smile. I groan at her arrival, I really don't want to see anybody right now. She approaches me and takes a seat next to me.

"Shall I join you?" She asks me. Now is not the time Tifa.

"I want to drink alone." I bluntly tell her. Her lips curl to a frown, I can tell she is not happy with what I said.

"Then drink in your room." She says with an angry tone in her voice. I don't respond but grab the rest of the bottle I was drinking from and walked to my room. I am fine with this. I just want to be alone right now. I don't look back at her; her fits are the least of my worries.

In my room, I take down more of the bottle. I can feel the liquor having an effect on me. I feel myself losing consciousness and find myself teetering back and forth before I fall back first on the ground. I don't feel any pain but I just lay there, thinking about today. All I want is to just be with you again. To hold you in my arms. To tell you everything is alright, to never let you out of my sight again.

But I instead learned true tragedy. It isn't just the initial act that makes you grieve, it's reliving it over and over. To lose you again right in front of me makes it even more unbearable than I thought it could ever be. And now I know what hell really is…

Hell is repetition.


	4. Hero of Two Worlds

"Did you see that?" Ramza asked.

"See what?" Agrias turned to him.

"I think I saw sparks from the transporter." Ramza walked towards the big golden globe and gave it a knock out of curiosity. Nothing happened.

"I didn't see anything." Agrias shrugged.

"Oh well." Ramza sighed. "Nevermind then."

They agreed to take care of Mustadio's house while he was digging with his father for a week. Neglected papers were scattered all over the floor in the library. They offered to help clean the house for the engineer but he declined. Although unorganized at first glance, he claimed that his father knew where each paper resided anyway.

"I don't know how he works like this." Agrias said while raising her arms. Just because there was a method to their madness, it didn't mean they had to approve of it.

"That doesn't mean much from you." Ramza said in a playful tone. " You are the complete opposite of this. Every night when you take your armor off it's a ritual."

"It's not that bad!" The holy knight snapped, trying to sound angry but Ramza knew it was a facade. "Remember the time when you-"

The sound of electricity cut her off. They quickly turned back to the transporter, the blue volts weren't hidden anymore. The electricity intensified; one current shot out from the machine and landed in the corner of the room. When the bolt vanished, a white light remained, shaped like a human body.

"Is that…?" Ramza trailed off. He remembered the last time this happened and who emerged from the electricity. And besides, the head was studded with spiky contours, who else had hair like that?

Ramza didn't need to speculate much longer, the body colorized and confirmed that it was the soldier that he remembered.

"Cloud!" The Beoulve shouted with joy, "You're back." He was so excited that Cloud returned that he wanted to approach him. He tried to, but Agrias held him back.

"Ramza! Watch out!" She warned him. He stopped and darted his eyes to the machine, it wasn't finished. As the globe did with Cloud, it did the same for the next person, a bolt of electricity landed next to the soldier.

But Cloud knew who it was. He smiled, his plan worked. With anticipation he waited for the process to finish. the body slowly took form, revealing a girl kneeling down. Ramza looked on in bewilderment, she looked familiar…

"Aerith, we're here." Cloud told her while helping her up. He remembered the first time when he came here through the transporter and how hard it was to keep one's balance.

"Cloud… where are we?" A confused Aerith asked. Her jade green eyes wandered and marveled. She looked at the machine that was her conduit, there was nothing like it in the world she knew. She then fixed her gaze on the two knights. Their armor, their weapons, they looked like something from a museum to her.

"We're in a different world now." Cloud said calmly. "This place is called Ivalice."

"Ivalice…" Aerith repeated the name slowly, amazed at the concept of another world.

"These two people helped me find myself." He pointed at Ramza and Agrias. "I told them that when I found what I was looking for, I would come back."

Ramza's gaze was locked on Aerith, he surely had seen her before. And then it hit him.

"I know you!" He directed at the Cetra. "You're the flower girl at Zarghidas."

"Zarghidas?" Aerith never heard of the place. "I'm from Midgar." She corrected him, but ended up confusing Ramza more.

"Maybe we should to start over?" Agrias suggested, much to Cloud's approval.

"Yeah, let's just start with names first." He placed his hands on the Cetra's shoulders. "This is Aerith, the one I was looking for."

"Nice to meet you guys." Aerith gave a bow, trying her best not to offend anybody.

"My name is Ramza. Nice to meet you too." He said while waving his hand.

"I'm Agrias Oaks." The holy knight said formally. Ramza looked at her in amusement, her politeness was one of the things he loved about her.

Cloud didn't introduce himself, feeling that it would be redundant. "There is a lot to talk about, do you guys wanna go to a bar and catch up?"

They talked for a while at Mustadio's house before they left for the pub. Aerith diligently listened to what Ramza and Agrias had to say about their world. She also made sure not to miss every detail that the city of Goug had to offer; everything was so different. People rode on chocobos not for sport but because it was the best transportation. Wanted posters filled billboards as opposed to Television back at home. The technology was so primitive to her, it made Gongaga look like the upper plates of Midgar.

Yet she wondered why didn't Cloud tell her any of this? To not mention a friend was one thing, but to keep a secret such as an entire world was something else. And they weren't normal friends anyway. She remembered how she was introduced, as the girl he was looking for. So he even confided to them about her.

The soldier noticed the Cetra's face twisted in thought and held her hand to reassure her. "It's OK, it won't be confusing forever."

She turned to him and nodded. "But Cloud, I want to know why-"

"There's the tavern guys." Ramza interjected while pointing at the sign, he didn't realize Aerith was speaking. She sighed and decided to wait until later to ask him to explain himself.

They walked inside the bar, greeted with the sounds of a singing bard and drunk patrons. Agrias spotted an empty table and they walked towards it. A couple of tipsy knights found favor in Aerith and looked on at her with snickers. Cloud saw this and shot the men a cold stare. His mako blue eyes were something the men never saw before, same with his sword. They didn't bite on Cloud's non verbal threat, his eyes showed the experience of a man who saw way too much. The knights averted their gaze from the soldier but Cloud moved his arm around Aerith just to make sure they got the point.

Ramza saw Cloud's behavior and smirked. Taking Agrias to a tavern was never a problem. A group of customers shouted perversive remarks to Agrias once. She beat them brutally until they ran away. Ramza figured that if he put his arm around her at places like this, it would simply be in the way.

They sat down on the wooden table. Seeing that everyone was situated, Ramza took the initiative in asking for drinks.

"What do you guys want to drink?"

"A water." Cloud said.

"Still no liquor Cloud?" Agrias smiled.

"Not interested." He shook his head.

"How about you Aerith? Lets both try a beer." The holy knight wanted at least someone to drink with her.

"Alright, lets do it!" Aerith said exuberantly.

"Tavernmaster!" Ramza shouted to alert him. "One water, two beers, and one milk!" The Barkeep nodded while polishing a glass with a rag.

Aerith arched her eyebrows. "Milk?"

"I don't drink alcohol." The Beoulve stated plainly.

"That reminds me of someone else I know." The Cetra shifted her eyes to Cloud, giving him a wide-eyed smile.

"Wait until you try it." Cloud fought a laugh. He tried some of Ivalice's finest before and remembered how it tasted.

It didn't take long for the drinks to arrive. Before they began to drink, Ramza noticed a group of people playing a card game, with two empty spots left on the table.

"Hey Cloud, want to play a game or two with those guys for old times?" The Beoulve recalled a time when he convinced Cloud to play a few games. The soldier was his lucky charm, they won every game they played.

Cloud didn't approve of the idea, he didn't want to leave Aerith away from his watch, "Maybe later."

The Cetra could read him like a book, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Cloud, I'll be fine, I can take care of myself here. You haven't seen your friend in a long time, go play some games with him."

"Aerith…" Cloud said softly, he still didn't want to leave her side.

"I'll still be here, and Agrias will be here too. It's OK." She nudged Cloud to make him get up off the chair. He took a sip of water before he set the mug next to the table.

"Alright, but I'll leave this for you. You're gonna need it." Cloud reluctantly gave in to her and walked with Ramza to the card table.

Aerith looked away from Cloud and turned to Agrias. "So how did you and Ramza meet?"

Agrias had a swallow of beer and put the mug down. "We were both assigned to protect a princess. She was kidnapped and we worked together to go get her back."

"He looks like a really nice guy." Aerith said.

"Nobles are usually corrupt and selfish here." Agrias said bluntly. "But Ramza's not like that at all. I've never seen a noble care so much, and I think that's why I fell for him."

"It's like that back at home too." Aerith agreed. "He must be really special then."

"Yes." Agrias smiled before having another sip. Aerith tried to drink her beer but her faced scrunched up from the taste. With widened eyes, she slid the beer out of her sight and quickly grabbed Cloud's water and drank it. The holy knight fought a chuckle at the coughing Cetra, silently noting to herself that Cloud left the water here because he knew this would happen.

"He cares about you a lot." Agrias said to her. Aerith just finished getting the bad taste out of her mouth and the coughing stopped. She turned to the holy knight, waiting on what she had to say.

"I was there when Cloud first came to Ivalice." She started. "And he was trying to remember his name and what he did. He didn't care who he was or where he was, the first thing he did was run off and go look for you. He didn't talk much, but whenever he did, it was about losing you and the pain he was in."  
Agrias' words resonated in Aerith. She remembered how sad Cloud was when Sephiroth killed her and how his heart cracked. Since she came back, Cloud refused to bring up that time. Hearing the Holy Knight reminded her how much he wanted to be with her again.

"Thank you for saying that." Was all she could say.

"I am happy that he found you. He has done so much for us."

"What exactly did he do here?" Aerith wanted to ask Cloud earlier but figured now was a good time as any to learn about his adventure here.

"The final battle." Agrias' tone grew more serious. "He was with us when we fought Ultima, even though this world isn't his. We saved everyone that day, and without him, I don't think we would've won. He is a hero in this world. We told him that when he finds who he is looking for, to come back and visit us."

With every word that the Holy Knight spoke, Aerith grew more and more in shock. As ridiculous as it seemed to wonder before it is now more logical to ask, how many more worlds did he explore? How many more worlds did he save?  
She titled her head to observe him playing cards with Ramza. They just won a game, or at least that is the impression she got from Ramza's cheering. She looked at the soldier happily before turning back towards Agrias.

"I don't know why he didn't tell me any of this." Aerith shook her head.

"I think he was really hurt when he was here." Agrias said sympathetically. "But you should ask him yourself later."

"I will." Aerith said quickly before she looked down and finished the water. By the time she looked up, Cloud and Ramza already returned to the table and took their seats.

"How did you guys do?" Agrias asked.

"We may have to go soon." Ramza said, barely able to contain his laughter. "We won every game. I think they may try and take their gil back." He wasn't afraid of the men, but wanted to leave for their sakes.

"Alright then." The holy knight agreed. "Let's go."  
***

"We'll use the machine to go home in the morning." Cloud said.

"You sure you don't want to stay with us?" Ramza offered, hoping to spend more time with his friend before he left.

"Thanks, but, we'll be fine." He declined.

"Let us know if you change your mind." Agrias then darted her eyes towards Aerith. "It was really nice meeting you!"

"Same here." Aerith waved. "Thanks again for the talk Agrias."

Ramza and Agrias said their farewells before walking away hand in hand. Cloud and Aerith watched them leave until they were out of sight.

"Lets go find an inn." He extended his hand out for Aerith to grab. She quietly took it and walked with him.

"So you had a talk with Agrias?" Cloud asked.

"We talked about Ramza and you." Aerith replied briefly.

"What about?" His curiosity didn't diminish.

"About everything you have done for this place." She tightened her grip on his hand.

"I didn't do much." He shook his head, believing what he said.

"Cloud… why didn't you tell me about this place?" The soldier stopped moving and stared at her.

"You brought me here so it must be important to you." Aerith continued to speak. "I just don't know why you would keep it a secret."

"I was here when I lost you." He said, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. "Aerith… it was such a tough time. The pain was with me wherever I went, even here. I didn't bring it up because I want to forget that pain."

"But you would be forgetting all the friends you made here." She countered. "Cloud, you don't have to worry about me being gone anymore. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere, not without you. You don't have to feel that pain anymore."

Cloud stared at his flower girl. Everything she said made sense to him. "You're right. I am sorry for not telling you earlier."

"It's alright, really." Aerith leaned in towards Cloud. Just tell me next time OK?"  
"OK" Cloud nodded before he pulled Aerith in and wrapped his arms around her.

"So….. are there any other places you been to that I don't know about?" She asked. It's still possible.

"No, just here." He smirked.

"I see, only a hero of two worlds then." She smiled before Cloud drew her in for a kiss.

They spent the night at a nearby inn; Aerith convinced Cloud to stay at Ivalice for a week. She wanted to learn more about the culture of this world. But more importantly, she wanted to learn everything that Cloud did here. She wanted to know everything about her hero of two worlds.


	5. A Jealous Cloud

Cloud spent the last few minutes listening to Aerith talk about Zack. At first he listened with a clear mind but as she went on about him, he grew more and more jealous. He was unable to hide the twisted expression on his face, which Aerith picked up.

"Hey? What's wrong?" Aerith leaned in and looked into Cloud's blue eyes. He didn't respond, but his body language made it obvious.

"Are you… jealous?" Aerith asked excitedly. "Hmm? Hmmm? Are you, Cloud?" It made her happy that the blond would be jealous over her. Instead of admitting it, Cloud turned his back to her; he knew his face wouldn't be able to conceal the truth. Seeing that Cloud was growing more upset, she called off the dogs.

"I'm kidding. I'm sorry." She said in hope to placate him. She then moved her head down, feeling somewhat defeated that Cloud didn't admit it. There must be a way for him to not hide about it.

"I was hoping maybe you were." She said so low that nobody heard her. She then walked beside the blond. "Let's go, Cloud."

As they made their way towards the weapon shop, Cloud stayed silent with his arms crossed, left to stew in his own juices. He replayed the conversation he had with Aerith over and over in his mind. Thinking about it made him more and more jealous. A part of Cloud suspected that Aerith tried to make him jealous by the way she talked about him, _why would I care if he was also First Class?_

Before he talked with the weapon dealer, he noticed Aerith whispering to Barret. He thought he saw Barret sneak glances at him, but didn't mind it as he bought a new sword for himself.

As he approached the party, Cloud noticed Barret staring at him. He started to grow irritated.

"What's with you?" He asked.

"Hey man, you got a second?" The Avalanche leader asked in a serious tone. "I got something I wanna talk with you in private."

"…Okay." Cloud obliged. The two men walked away from the friends. The blond was oblivious to the mischievous grin that Aerith wore.

When Barret realized they were out of ear's distance from the party, he began to speak. "I gotta problem and I dunno what to do."

Cloud could've sworn Barret tried to hold back a laugh. "What is it?" He asked flatly, his mind just about free from the thoughts of earlier.

Barret shook his head and shrugged, as if he can't explain what he was about to say. "I think I like Aerith."

All of the thoughts came right back! Cloud's eyes widened, did he just hear that right? He had to make sure.

"What?" Was all he could say.

"I like Aerith." Barret replied. "You think I should 'jes tell her?"

Cloud was speechless. He didn't know what to do, so he just walked away from his friend and towards the party. Aerith saw him coming before anyone else did.

"Hey, Cloud." Aerith called out to him with a hint of curiosity. "You OK?"

Cloud tried to avert his gaze from her, still adamant on not admitting the truth. He decided to just pretend it didn't happen.

"Let's go check out the reactor." He said quickly before leading the way. When his back was turned, Aerith sighed in defeat, she almost had it.

On the way to the reactor they heard faint voices down the dirt path. "…Is someone there?" Cloud asked. They followed the murmurs to see that it was Reno and Rude of the Turks. The Turks didn't notice Cloud and his friends, so they stayed still and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What are you getting so embarrassed about?" Reno asked his sunglasses wearing colleague. "Come on? Who do you like?"

Rude felt embarrassed, but if he would tell anyone, it would be Reno. "…Tifa."

As soon as the name was uttered, everyone in the party turned to Tifa, who looked down to try and hide the reddish hue on her cheeks.

"Hmmmm…" Reno pondered. "That's a tough one. But, poor Elena. She… you…"

"No, she likes Tseng." Rude corrected him.

"I never knew that!" Reno smirked. "But Tseng likes that Ancient…"

"WHAT!?" Cloud shouted on impulse. He then stared at Aerith- the apparent symbol of everyone's affection- before storming towards the Turks.

Reno and Rude noticed Cloud walking to them very angrily. Now it was time to settle things.

"It's been a while." Reno said, ready to get some revenge. "Payback time for what you did in Sector- AH!"

Cloud didn't wait for Reno to finish before he punched him in the face as hard as he could. The blond berserker then turned to Rude and hit him with a punch just as fierce as the one before. Rude's sunglasses shattered on impact.

Seeing that the Turks were knocked out cold, Cloud walked back towards his friends. He stopped when Aerith was a step away and looked at her.

"D-D-Does everyone like you!?" The exasperated Cloud then walked away from everyone. His friends laughed at the blonds behavior when finding out someone else liked Aerith.

 _I think he is jealous…_ " Aerith marveled at the green-eyed monster she created, but felt regret at taking it too far. _Poor guy. I should make it up to him…_


	6. Roleplay

Cloud and Aerith were separated from their friends at the Great Glacier. For how long they have been missing the two weren't sure, the blustering winds distorted their sense of time. While Cloud was handling the cold OK, the Cetra shivered uncontrollably.

"Aerith, we're going to find some shelter." Was Cloud's solution.

Aerith knew he wanted to do it for her. She didn't want him to slow down for her sake. "I-I-I-I'll be f-f-f-fine." She said, unable to hide the cold's effect on her.

"You don't sound fine at all." Cloud shook his head. They continued moving until they spotted a cabin in the distance. An unfrozen lake was in their path, but there were icicles they could jump over to get across.

The blond looked at Aerith with worry. "Let's head for the cabin." The Cetra nodded, though to Cloud it could've just been her head bobbing from the weather.

They hopped over the icicles carefully, they knew how cold the water would be if they were to fall. Cloud would jump first to make sure the icicle could hold them or not tip over. When they reached the end Cloud made it back on snow covered land. Aerith prepared herself for the last leap, but she lost her footing and fell in the water.

"Aerith!" Cloud hurriedly reached down and helped her up. "Are you Okay?"

Aerith huffed, missing when all she needed to worry about was the chilling breezes. "You win, I'm sick of this."

Cloud nodded. He didn't want to waste any more time outside with her clothes being wet. His mind flashed from one idea to the next until one stood out. He picked up the Cetra with one arm under her legs and the other under her back and ran as fast as he could to the cabin.

"Cloud… I can still walk you know." Aerith arched an eyebrow at his impulsiveness.

"I just want to get you inside." He replied flatly, running faster towards the cabin.

"My my, that's a little forward." Aerith smirked, causing her bodyguard to blush.

"That's…not what I meant." Cloud shyly looked away from her.

To his delight, they made it to the cabin and Aerith wasn't a sheet of ice, mission accomplished. Upon entering inside, they noticed that they were alone. There was a fire place and the windows were tightly shut. If anything, it was a place to keep warm in the meantime.

"Do you have anything else to change into?" Cloud turned to Aerith.

She looked up, thinking if she brought along something with her for the trip. "Nope. I didn't bring any other clothes with me."

"Oh man." Cloud held his chin. "what to do then?" He gazed at Aerith, her green eyes were windows to her freezing soul. He had to stop it.

And then it hit him. "Here, wear this." Cloud removed his pauldron and undone his straps before taking off his shirt and giving it to her.

"Thank you Cloud." Aerith held his shirt. "But, I don't think it will cover all of me."

"You're right." Cloud admitted. He had boxer shorts but that would be all that he had if he were to give her the next piece of clothing. When considering that it was about her safety, he didn't need to give it a second thought.

"Okay." Cloud took off his boots, unbuckled his belt, and removed his blue pants. He noticed Aerith's face growing more and more red; all Cloud wore now was snow white boxers. Cloud started to blush as well before handing Aerith his clothes.

"I guess I will go in the other room and change now." Aerith walked towards the bathroom while holding almost all of his entire wardrobe. Before she closed the door she looked at Cloud.

"Remember. No peeking!" She smiled before closing the door.

Cloud looked around and tried to find something constructive to do. Truth be told, with his new attire, he was starting to feel cold himself. He then turned to the fireplace and remembered that he had a fire materia equipped to a bangle he still had on. _Why not_ He shrugged to himself and threw some unused pieces of wood in the fireplace before he cast fire. He smiled at the realization that it worked.

Aerith slowly undressed herself in the bathroom. She then gazed at her bodyguard's clothes. She smelled them, it was a welcoming scent. She couldn't think of something to associate it with, but it made her feel warm and happy, because it reminded her of him.

With haste she put on his clothes. She looked at the mirror to see how well she wore them. The shirt was baggy; it's sleeveless but it rested slightly at the start of her arms. The pants dragged down to the floor so she had to cuff them. The boots were also too big, but she was able to manage.

She opened the door and noticed Cloud sitting on the couch, staring at the newly started fire. She walked towards her benefactor.

"Who am I?" She tried to do one of Cloud's poses. "I don't care." She said in mock Cloud voice before laughing.

Even Cloud couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Not bad."

Aerith took the open seat next to him. "Thank you, you didn't have to do this."

"I didn't want you to freeze." Cloud stated. "What else could I have done?"

"You sure that's it?" Aerith said playfully, pointing at the fireplace. "I see us alone and a well lit fire and I'm wearing your clothes, you sure you didn't have any other… plans?" Aerith inched her face closer to Clouds.

"I just want you safe." Cloud admitted, but even he couldn't deny how well it was set up. He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips onto hers. Aerith closed her eyes and relaxed, returning the kiss. Cloud positioned himself so Aerith was able to lay on the couch and he was on top of her. Their minds raced. For the first time today, they didn't feel cold.

Before they had a chance to continue, the front door slammed open, revealing all of their friends. Cloud and Aerith stopped and started at them with wide open eyes, too stunned to move. Their friends tilted their heads in confusion and scowled.

"What the hell guys?!" Barret shouted. "We've only been separated a #$ %! hour!"


	7. Draw!

"Easy." Cloud said slowly, giving a light pull on one of his horse's reins. His black horse, Fenrir, stopped and the man rolled off the saddle. The cowboy looked up at the cloudless blue sky and walked into Midgar.

Midgar was like any other old dusty town Cloud had come across in his travels. The people stared at him just like all of the other new faces before them. He didn't wear a hat, for his spiky hear wouldn't allow it. His matching dark blue shirt and pants were uncommon in the town. Most people noted the gun that was in the holster that laid on the side of his hip; the Buster Barrel, a revolver with a barrel the size of a fist.

But he wasn't here for them, he was a bounty hunter on a job. Someone sent him a letter, urging him to come to Midgar and meet him at Seventh Heaven, the town's most famous saloon.

Cloud moved aside the small swinging doors and walked inside. He darted his eyes around the bar, his ears greeted by the sounds of hardened murmurs and someone playing a piano. He didn't know what his client looked like, so he decided to ask the bartender, an older man with blond hair similar to his. The bartender noticed he was approaching him and began to speak.

"The name's Cid." He said flatly. "What can I do you for?"

"I'm looking for someone named Aerith." Cloud replied. Cid's face developed into a scowl.

"I reckon you're the stupid son of a # $!^ she asked to duel Sephiroth?" Cid's stare deepened to see Cloud's response. The blond cowboy remained unfazed.

"She's over there." Cid pointed to a woman sitting alone at a table in the corner. "Best of luck kid."

Cloud eyed the girl. Her beauty was something for him to behold. He paid special attention to her green eyes, he couldn't remember another person having eyes the same color as hers. He made his way towards her; She was looking downward and didn't notice him.

"Are you Aerith?" He asked. The girl lifted her head and looked at the cowboy in front of her. Her lips curled upward, this had to be the guy. He was more handsome than she pictured. Cloud's gaze was stuck on her. Seeing her smile shot a flash of warmth through him.

She stood up. "Then you must be…"

"Cloud." He gently grabbed her hand and lightly kissed it. "Pleasure." He pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, Aerith did likewise.

"So," Cloud started. "What's the problem?"

"There's a man here… he wants me to marry him." Aerith said somberly. "His name is Sephiroth. I told him no but he doesn't listen. He kills people just for talking with me."

Cloud looked at her quizzically. "Why doesn't the sheriff do anything about it?"

Aerith turned away from Cloud. "Sephiroth killed him too."

"I understand…" Cloud nodded in realization. "So you want me to do it?"

"I've heard stories about you Cloud, I think you can stop him." Aerith said pleadingly. "I have nobody else to turn to."

"Okay. I'll do it." Cloud smirked. "But it'll cost you."

Aerith smiled. "Hmmm, how about-"

Aerith stopped talking when she noticed everyone in the saloon gasped. They saw a man enter the bar, but he was no ordinary man. He wore a large black trench coat that matched his wide brimmed cowboy hat. He walked towards Aerith; the entire room was silent except for the clinking noise the man's spurs made as he moved.

"Who is this man?" The silver haired man glared at Aerith, as if she did something wrong.

"Sephiroth stop." Aerith said defiantly. "Just leave us alone."

"You can make this simple on yourself." Sephiroth said smugly. "Just… say yes, and it'll all be over."

"Or you can just leave us alone." Cloud had enough and rose from the chair. Everyone in the saloon looked on at the two gunslinger's staring contest. "You must be Sephiroth."

Sephiroth let out a faint laugh and eyed Cloud. "What are you then, puppet?"

Cloud didn't back down. "The name's Cloud Strife. I've been called here to stop you."

Sephiroth tightened his gloves. "I have one simple rule for everyone in this town. You talk to the girl, you die." He said calmly. "And you have broken the rule. So how do you want to do this? I can kill you right here, or we can duel outside."

Cloud clenched his fists uncontrollably, Sephiroth's antics made him angry very easily. "Outside."

"30 minutes, noon." Was all he said before slowly walking out of the saloon. Once his spurs were out of earshot, everyone acted normal again.

Cloud began to walk out and wait for him but Aerith grabbed his arm.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She said worriedly. "You can still leave." She had faith in him but the thought of Cloud dying for her broke her heart.

He looked back at her. Aerith noticed that he didn't look like someone who was scared. "If I do that, I won't see your smile again." Cloud walked outside the saloon to wait for Sephiroth.

Word spread around the town quickly about the fated duel. Everyone made sure to leave the streets. They spectated from windows and through open doors. It didn't take long for Sephiroth to appear. He looked down at Cloud, to him he was just another victim, nothing more.

One minute left to go. Cloud shot a quick glance at Aerith, who watched on from the saloon. He gave her a reassuring nod before turning back to the silver haired cowboy.

Ticks away from the moment, Cloud's hand hovered over his Buster Barrel, waiting for the bell to go off. Sephiroth waved his fingers over his gun.

The sound of bell signaled the moment of truth. Both men quickly drew their guns but only one shot was heard. Nobody was able to see who won, the battlefield was covered in black smoke. They anxiously waited for it to clear. Someone screamed but they couldn't make out who it was.

Sure enough, when the men were visible again, they saw Cloud standing fine while Sephiroth laid lifeless on the ground, the impossible had happened. Cloud blew into the muzzle and flipped the gun in his hand before jamming it back into his holster. Everyone in the city screamed for joy at it's personal terror no longer around to wreak havoc.

Aerith ran to Cloud and embraced him. "Cloud you did it! You beat Sephiroth." Her voice was barely audible due to the loud chants.

"You don't need to worry about him anymore Aerith." Cloud said confidently. "You can be with whoever you want to be with."

"So…" Aerith stopped and looked into his blue eyes before continuing. "Do you want to know what the fee was?"

"Sure." Cloud obliged.

"How about you take me out somewhere?" Aerith winked.

The cowboy grinned, it's what he wanted. "Deal. Come with me, I know a great place."

Cloud and Aerith walked outside Midgar to where he left Fenrir. He helped Aerith up on the horse before hopping on himself. She held on to him while they rode Fenrir off into the sunset, to have the date they wanted from the very start.


	8. Merry Christmas Cloud

'Twas the noon before Christmas when all through the town  
people bought gifts for loved ones, to not let them down  
But when they finished they returned to their homes  
For who would dare celebrate Christmas alone?

But there was a man in Kalm who had different plans  
He still wanted to work despite his wife's demands  
Now he will learn why Christmas' love never fails  
He was Cloud Strife, and this is his Christmas Tale

"Aerith, have you seen my phone!?" Cloud shouted upstairs. He was expecting a call to accept his next delivery job. He hurriedly ran through rooms and opened drawers in hopes of finding it, but to no avail.

"I don't see it Cloud." Aerith said dismissively, casually looking through cabinets. If Cloud paid close attention to the Cetra, he would've noticed that she wasn't really trying to look.

They met up in the kitchen, Cloud shrugged. He looked everywhere, there was nothing else he could do. "It's too late anyway, the call never comes this late."  
Aerith beamed, that was what she wanted to hear. "Does this mean…?"

But Cloud was on the more uneager side. "Yeah. I won't do it then, I'm staying here."

"Alright!" Aerith was unable to conceal her excitement. She didn't care though, Cloud already knew how much she didn't want him to take the job. "You should be here with us anyway."

"Yeah, I guess you're…" Cloud trailed off, his gaze was caught on something protruding from Aerith's red bolero jacket. He pointed at it. "What is that?"

Aerith's eyes widened. "It's n-nothing." She stammered while moving back a step. "Just something for Sora."

"Oh yeah?" He didn't buy it. Cloud swiftly reached out and grabbed the object Before the Cetra could stop him. It was his phone. He showed it to his wife, gesturing her to explain herself.

"Oh…is that your phone?" Aerith joked, letting out a fake laugh. "How did that get there?"

"You shouldn't have done that Aerith." He rebuked her. "You could've just told me you didn't want me to go."

Aerith stared at Cloud muddlingly. "I asked you to not work on Christmas before." She countered. "We're doing fine, we don't need the extra gil."

"I know Aerith…" Cloud admitted sadly.

"Then why Cloud!?" Aerith shouted, shuffling a step forward. "Why are you so serious about working on Christmas!?"

Cloud took a breath before speaking. "I just want to make sure you and Sora get everything you want." His tone was somber and he looked downward. "When I was younger, I didn't get much. I was Okay with it, really, but the other kids…they showed off what they got. Sora is around the same age I was then, I just want to make sure he doesn't go through it too."

After listening to Cloud, Aerith calmed down. She didn't realize that the whole time he wanted to do it for them. His mako blue eyes gave away how important it was to him, it wasn't often he talked about his childhood.

"Cloud," She said softly. "You know what he wants the most is for you to be here right?"

Cloud stared at Aerith but didn't respond, but she knew her husband's attention was on her; so Aerith continued to talk. "All I want for Christmas is for Sora to be happy and for you to be with us. I don't need anything from you, I just want you to stay. Okay Cloud?"

Cloud slowly nodded, his wife's words got to him. "Okay, I'll stay."

Aerith's lips curled upward at her victory. She closed the gap between them and lightly kissed him. "Thank you."

Before Cloud could say anything, he heard the doorbell go off. He contemplatively held his chin, wondering who it was.

Aerith knew what he was thinking though. "It's probably Tseng. Let him in while I go get Sora."

Cloud listened to her and walked towards the front door. He opened it, revealing Tseng of the Turks, who was holding a large gift wrapped box with a red bow to top it off. Cloud inwardly smirked at his wife's prediction being right.

Tseng looked at him and his face twisted, he appeared perplexed. "You're still here?" The Turk let himself in the house. "I thought you had work."

"I'm staying." Cloud closed the door.

"I see." Tseng replied curtly. "That is probably wise. From what I have been hearing, you should stay by them tonight."

"Why is that?" Aerith asked, coming down the stairs with her hand on the banister. Sora was behind her.

Tseng flinched for a brief moment, he didn't think Aerith was listening. "I heard it will be beautiful tonight, he should share it with you two." Tseng lied coolly.

He then turned his gaze to Sora. The Turk approached him and kneeled down so he was eye level with the boy.

"Hey Sora." Tseng said with a friendly tone in his voice. "Have you been a good boy this year?"

Sora nodded emphatically. "You bet Uncle Tseng!"

"I think so too." Tseng showed the boy the present and let him hold it. Sora's eyes lit up. "Santa told me to give it to you. Make sure you wait until tomorrow before you open it alright?"

"Okay." Sora reluctantly obeyed.

"Dear, how about you go put it under the tree for now." Aerith suggested. Sora walked away with the present, shaking it to help him guess what the box contained.

"Thank you Tseng." Aerith said, smiling.

"Of course." The Turk spared a quick nod. Every Christmas he would buy something for Sora. Cloud and Aerith at first were adamant about it, but they soon learned that Tseng didn't do it for the Turks but for himself. Since then they have relented.

"I should be going. You two stay safe, and keep your eyes on the boy." He didn't wait for their response and walked out the door. Silence filled the room, prompting Cloud to break it.

"We should go see the others now." Cloud said. Their friends had a Christmas party arranged at Edge.

"I'll go get Sora." Aerith agreed cheerfully. She couldn't remove the wide grin on her face, because she knew that Cloud is staying with them. Cloud wore a smile himself, happy that he meant so much to his family.

But out in the distance, on top of a lone mountain far away from their eyes, there was a man watching them with disgust and anticipation.

"It seems Cloud has a family now." Sephiroth said to himself. "Yet he still rejects who he really is. This problem must be taken care of."

A strong breeze brushed his silver hair back, he continued to look down at the town in contempt. "Can you feel it mother? These worthless creatures are celebrating with no remorse for what they have done to us."

Sephiroth then stretched out his arms with conviction. "But I am the chosen one. Only I can celebrate Christmas!"

 **Part 2**

The Strifes choose the car as their means to get to Edge. Cloud drove while Aerith took shotgun and Sora was in the back. Aerith tried to find a good song on the radio and stopped when she found a Christmas tune.

"Oh look, another Christmas song." She quipped.

"I don't think you'll find anything else right now." Cloud added, turning to his wife to spare a smile.

"Yeah you're right." Aerith sat back on her seat, signaling that the search for a song was over. "I really like this one anyway."

"Me too!" Sora agreed cheerfully. "I love Christmas songs."

"Then we have to keep it on then." Cloud smirked at Sora through the rear-view mirror.

They listened to the radio for the rest of the ride. Before they knew it they made it to the outskirts of Edge. Their excitement was dulled when they saw a hazy grey fog that encompassed the city.

"What happened to this place?" The blond took his foot off the gas pedal. The family looked around in confusion to see that pedestrians were screaming and running for their life.

"Something's wrong here." Aerith noted. She soon spotted a figure standing on one of the rooftops, who looked like he finished casting magic.

"Cloud, look over there." She pointed at the silhouette.

Cloud couldn't see for sure who it was, but in his heart, against all rational sense of judgment, there was no doubt in his mind the identify of the figure. Anxiety gripped his heart, it was an evil he thought he was rid of forever, but it has now come back to haunt him.

"It's Sephiroth…" He said grimly.

Aerith darted her emerald green eyes to his. "What? How is he even here?"  
Cloud's shoulders hunched up. "I dunno, but I have to stop him." He then turned his gaze to the mirror. "Sora, listen to me. Stay by your mother and go to Seventh Heaven."

Aerith responded before her son could. "Cloud I'm not letting you go fight alone."

Sora also didn't like the idea. "Dad I want to help you fight him."

Cloud was dumbfounded. It was impossible enough when he only had to worry about Aerith's safety, but Sora was just as defiant as his mother. "I don't want you or Sora involved."

"Okay." She conceded. "I will leave Sora someplace safe, but then I'm coming back."

Cloud didn't really think she would listen to his demands for her safety. The compromise she made with him would have to do. "Okay." Was all he said before he opened the car door and jumped up broken houses to close the gap between his nemesis.

Cloud noticed that Sephiroth's back was turned to him, which somehow made him more angry than if he looked at him. Fireballs shot from the sky from the silver haired man's spell but the blond dodged them all. He preemptively gripped the buster sword, who knows if there will be other foes to greet him as well.

When Cloud was within earshot, Sephiroth turned around to acknowledge his rival. "Merry Christmas Cloud." He said with a fiendish grin.

"What do you know about Christmas?" Cloud shot at him, readying his sword. Sephiroth laughed at his question; to Cloud he didn't seem fazed by it.

"The question is, what do **you** know about Christmas?" Sephiroth walked slowly on the roof. "Or better yet, what do you even know about love?"

When it came to Sephiroth, his fuse was always shorter than what it normally was. He didn't know how Sephiroth got here or why he cared about Christmas, and he didn't care either. He just knew that Sephiroth had to be defeated.

An indignant Cloud yelled "Shut up!" and leaped towards his enemy, prepared to strike the first blow. Sephiroth swiftly dodged the attack and tried to counter with one of his own. They repeated this dance until they clashed swords.

"I saw your family" Sephiroth said over the metallic noise of their grinding weapons. He spoke in a supercilious manner. "Do you really love them? Or are you just going through the motions? Trying to treat them as you think a real person would."

"I know how I feel about them. That trick won't work on me anymore." Cloud replied with conviction. There used to be a time when the silver haired man's words preyed upon his doubt, but it's long behind him now. Cloud was gaining the edge in the standstill, his sword leaned closer and closer to Sephiroth's.

Sephiroth pulled back and glared at his adversary. "If you want to finish this, meet me at the north pole. There I will meet my destiny and take Christmas back." And with that he vanished in an instant, leaving a perplexed Cloud. _North Pole?_

As he pondered about it he saw someone move on the rooftops from the way he came. When the smoke cleared he realized it was Aerith. He relaxed, Aerith was alright and if she was coming to help, that means Sora was safe too.

When the Cetra arrived she looked at him quizzically. "You beat him already?"

Cloud shook his head. "No he got away."

"Where would he go?" Aerith asked.

Cloud was in complete disbelief at what he planned to say. "He's going to the North Pole. He said he wants to take Christmas away."

Aerith leaned in towards her husband and inspected him closely. "Did you hit your head while I was gone?"

"I'm serious." Cloud stayed adamant. "I have to go there and stop whatever he is trying to do."

"We" The Cetra corrected him. "But I still don't get it. If he wants to go to the north pole and stop Christmas, wouldn't that mean that Santa is-"

Aerith was interrupted by the sound of jingling bells; the sound came above them. Cloud and Aerith looked around until they found the culprit. They saw a jolly old man with a big white beard riding a sleigh. The plump fellow held the reins for eight reindeer.

Cloud and Aerith in unison admired the sight with dropped jaws and wide open eyes. Santa Claus came to town!

 **Part 3**

Santa let out a hearty laugh as he parked the sleigh near Cloud and Aerith before greeting them.

"Oh ho ho!" Santa started, "I just missed him, he is probably at the north pole right now."  
Before they could even begin to wonder who he was talking about, they just had to hear it from the horse's mouth. "Are you really Santa Clause!?" Aerith asked.

"That's me!" The bearded man said happily. "And you are Aerith. I remember you when you were a little girl. You were always on top of the good list, I stamped your name on it."

"You're a smart man Santa." The Cetra quipped before turning to her husband. "How about Cloud? Did you ever have to give him a lump of coal?"

"Cloud was also a pretty good boy, but I had to write his down." Mr. Clause chortled.

"Santa," Cloud moved a step forward. "Why are you looking for Sephiroth?"

"He wants to take away all the presents at the north pole." He said seriously. "I am actually searching for you two. I can't stop him and the elves are running scared."

Santa's gaze at Cloud intensified. "I will take you two to the north pole. Only you two can save Christmas."

Cloud and Aerith stared at each other, they knew what to do. They stopped him when he tried to use meteor, and now the planet needs their help again.

"Let's go save Christmas." Cloud said.

Santa smiled, a good ending may be in their future after all. "Oh ho ho! That's the spirit." Santa sat on the sleigh. "Hop on you two."

Cloud and Aerith took a seat on the sleigh nervously but not without anticipation. It was hard to believe they were about to fly.

"Ready?" Santa asked.

"You bet!" Aerith gave a thumbs up while Cloud silently nodded.

With their confirmation, Santa started the journey. "Then off we go. Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! Going to the north pole, to catch that Grinch's tail. With Cloud and Aerith, we won't fail!

They left the rooftop and found themselves up in the sky, with only the stars above them. "It's so pretty." Aerith said, reminded of their time at Cosmo Canyon. They looked down at the cities below and marveled, remembering how high up they were.

The sleigh moved faster than what they thought, definitely quicker than the Highwind. Before they knew it, they made it to the north pole. They were amazed at the site of Santa's workshop. There was a certain radiance about the snow covered house. It was towering yet inviting.

But they couldn't admire it for long, they quickly saw the elves running in fear. "Sephiroth must be inside." Aerith said.

"Are you sure you want to come with me to fight him?" Cloud asked his wife.

"Yes," Aerith affirmed, holding his hand. "I don't want you to go alone."

"Oh ho ho! He isn't going to go alone." Santa noted with a jolly tone.

"Wait a minuted… are you going to fight too?" Cloud asked.

"Of course, it's my home!" Santa said with pride.

They made it back on solid ground and got off the sleigh. They wasted no time making their way to Santa's workshop. They found Sephiroth taking the presents from a conveyor and stuffing them in a beige bag.

"Stop it Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted and readied his sword. Sephiroth darted his eyes towards Cloud, noting that Aerith and Santa were with him.

"What a weird combination." Snickered the Sephiroth who stole Christmas. "If you want to stop me, you have to do it by force."

"Fine!" Cloud began the fight, attempting to slash his nemesis. Sephiroth avoided the attack, causing the blond to whiff. Aerith cast flare and was able to directly hit him.

"Not bad Ancient." Sephiroth healed himself with a cure spell. "My turn." He dashed towards Aerith to try and stab her, but Cloud got in the way and deflected Sephiroth's masamune. Santa tried to get in a hit of his own and swung a large steel bag and it smashed Sephiroth in the face, emitting a loud thud.

The silver haired man grew angry and retaliated, swinging madly at Mr. Clause. Santa dodged his initial attack, much to the surprise of Cloud and Aerith. But Santa's swift maneuvering did not last forever, Sephiroth managed to slash him, causing the jolly old man to fall.

"Santa!" Aerith screamed and ran to him.

"Aerith, stay by him, I got Sephiroth." Cloud was left to battle his ex-hero by himself.

"That's one down." Sephiroth sneered. "Next is the girl." He ignored Cloud and ran to the Cetra.

"I'll never let you hurt Aerith!" Hearing Sephiroth's threat ignited a fire in Cloud. He bursted at his enemy landing a blow on him. Sephiroth tried to fight back but the blond outfought him. He tried to counter but Cloud connected another slice.

Cloud charged his last attack, his foe in front of him couldn't move anymore. With speed faster than light, Cloud struck the final blow, causing Sephiroth to disintegrate before his very eyes.

"I will be back….." He echoed as he started to disappear. "For Easter." And then he was gone.

Cloud smiled, he had triumphed over his nemesis yet again, but he soon remembered that Santa was hurt. He turned towards his wife and Mr. Clause, he was breathing and looked like he would make it, but he had to ask.

"Are you alright?" Cloud was genuinely worried.

"Yes, I will be able to take care of myself from here." Santa grimaced while holding his stomach. "But, I am in no shape to deliver the presents. I need to ask one more favor of you two. Can you deliver the presents for me and make sure the children have their Christmas?"

"Of course Santa!" Aerith accepted. "We're here to help."

Cloud turned to the sleigh. He was ready, but preperations needed to made. "Santa, can I take care of one thing before we go start?"

***  
Santa allowed it. Cloud and Aerith returned to Edge to bring Sora back home. They told him a story and tucked him into bed and promised to be back by morning. After Sora fell asleep they went back to the north pole, but not without Cloud's motorcycle. The blond took the reins that attached the reindeer to the sleigh and connected them to his motorcycle instead. Aerith sat behind Cloud while holding Santa's present bag.

He revved up Fenrir, initiating the start of their quest. Cloud and Aerith bade Santa one last farewell before riding off into the night sky with the reindeer. As Cloud rode the motorcycle, Aerith threw the presents from the bag.

"Cloud, it's bottomless. I take one out and it feels like it doesn't run out of presents." Aerith noted as she tossed a box.

"Just don't drop the bag." Cloud turned back and joked with his wife.

"If I do, I'll just make you get it." The Cetra countered playfully. Cloud again looked back at her as they laughed.

"Merry Christmas Aerith." He said to her.

"Merry Christmas Cloud." Aerith smiled back. They kissed before resuming the long night ahead of them.

***  
Back at Kalm, Sora couldn't sleep. He heard a jingling sound but couldn't make out where it came from. Curious, he rolled out of bed to go find it. As he let out a yawn, something from the window caught the corner of his eye. He approached the window and peeked outside.

The full moon was out. The shining white orb was a beautiful sight, but something in the middle of it looked different. He looked harder and realized it was a silhouette of…reindeer?

He grew excited seeing Santa's reindeer, it had to be his, but the sleigh looked awfully different to him, more like a motorcycle. And it looked familiar to him. Dad!?

As he thought about it, he heard his mother and father's voice echo in the room. "Merry Christmas Sora!"


	9. Battle of Wills

Yuffie came over to Aerith's house to visit her. They talked in the living room while Aerith watered the flowers inside. The room had a large window for sunlight to shine through, so she was able to grow many flowers inside.

"Geeeeez, Louise! Cloud's workin' again?" Yuffie asked.

Aerith nodded. "He will be home for dinner but has to work later tonight. I can only see him for two hours."

"That sucks!" Yuffie said, stuck on her candid ways. "You told him don't do it right?"

A disheartened Aerith sighed. "He says that if he doesn't do it, the client will fire him. I don't care about it but Cloud does."

"Well that's real low." The Ninja declared. "Cloud should go there and-"

Yuffie was cut off by someone knocking on the door. Aerith put down the watering  
bucket and answered the door. It was a man from a delivery service.

"Sign here." The worker nonchalantly handed her a form. The Cetra jotted down her name and was given a box before the man left.

"What could this be?" Aerith asked out loud as she opened it. It was a jade green vase that had a box of chocolates in it. There was a card on top of the box. She held it and read it aloud.

"Dear Aerith," She started. "I couldn't find anything as beautiful as you so I hope this will do. Happy Anniversary. Love, Cloud." Aerith marveled at it; she loved it.

"You'd think with all the work he's doin' he'd buy you some jewelry." Yuffie remarked.

"That's not always the best gift Yuffie." Aerith rebutted and continued to look at the vase. "It's beautiful…if only I can get him to stay."

The ninja paused and contemplated her friend's dilemma. She very quickly conceived an idea. "Aerith, you're forgetting something about Cloud."

"What's that?" She was curious.

Yuffie looked at her as if she was going to say the most profound thing ever. "He's a man. Just show him the goods and you'll have him wrapped around your finger."

"Hmm…" The Cetra stared at her, dwelling on the idea. "You really think that'll work?"

"Yeah I do!" Yuffie said emphatically, " We just gotta make sure it's done right."

"Alright I'll do it!" Aerith smiled, there was hope after all! "Will you help me set up the house for later?"

"You got it." Yuffie grinned. "Let's do this!"

***  
An exhausted Cloud hopped off of Fenrir, dejected at the fact he has to go back out later.

He wanted more than anything to stay home with Aerith, but the repercussions for backing out was too severe. He fondly reminisced about the old days when they were with his friends. Despite the constant risk of losing their lives, he was able to be with Aerith as much as he wanted, and that's what made it special to him. His marriage with the Cetra worked out better than what he ever dreamed of, but there were days that he had to be apart from her, and they were hard on him.

He opened the door like he did any other day coming back from work, but the inside looked different. The lighting was much dimmer than how it was usually set up. He faintly heard a slow song coming from another room.

"Cloud is that you?" Aerith asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah" He said, standing up his sword near the door. He would sheathe it in it's usual abode, but Cloud knew he was going back out soon. What would be the point?

Aerith made it to the Entryway. She leaned on the wall, Cloud didn't realize she was in the room yet. "How was your day?"

"It was…" He trailed off when his eyes landed on the Cetra. Instead of her usual attire, she greeted him wearing nothing but a red robe that clung to her. She looked amazing, and yet he wondered why her choice of apparel.

"Did you just come out of the shower?" He guessed.

"I just wanted to wear this" She purred, her green eyes never leaving his. "Why? You don't like it?"

"No, it's just-"

"Because, I can just get rid of it." She didn't wait for him to finish. She unfastened her robe, dropping it down the floor next to her feet, leaving her nude. She fixated her gaze on him, trying to gauge his reaction. Maybe he will admit defeat right now.

Cloud stood still, his face grew warmer and redder by the second. Never in his life will he grow bored seeing his wife in her purest form. He was gripped by temptation, thoughts of not working flooded his mind. But when he remembered the punishments earned by calling off, his psyche sobered. He knew what she was trying to do. It pained him that he couldn't oblige to her wishes, but there was no way out of it.

"Aerith, " Cloud started, regret was evident in his voice. "You know I want to stay, but I just can't."

The battle of wills wouldn't end that easily. Aerith remained confident, this was only the first round. "Hey," She said soothingly before slowly walking towards her husband. "I know I only have a few hours with you. I just want it to be as comfortable, relaxing, and **pleasurable** as possible."

She paused before finishing. "I made dinner for us. Let's eat before it gets cold." And with that they walked to the dining room with Aerith leading the way. The way Aerith swayed her hips back and forth had an effect on Cloud, almost hypnotic. He couldn't take his eyes off her backside. The Cetra moved slow on purpose, trying to make him squirm as much as possible.

But they did eventually make it to the dining room. Cloud pulled up a cushioned chair for her.

"Always a gentleman." She seduced, gazing at her target as he moved to the other side to sit down himself. They sat directly across from each other, slightly longer than an arm's distance apart.

Now that his eyes weren't glued to his wife's rear, he was able to notice the changes in the room. A plate of spaghetti and meatballs laid in front of him. He then realized that the only lighting in the room was from the dim red candles on the table.

It didn't take long for him to stare at Aerith again, who was still naked. _She's not giving up_. He couldn't explain it, but the way the flickering lights danced in the room, it had a way of accentuating Aerith's curves. His eyes wandered all over her body, the urge to touch her creamy white skin was growing stronger. He felt his self control dwindling.

"Try some." Aerith cracked his reverie, but it wasn't broken. He tried to eat some, but his attention was too fixated on her. He took a bite, but not without leaving some sauce on the edge of his mouth.

"Oh Cloud," She playfully giggled. "Here, let me get that for you." She grabbed a napkin and reached in towards Cloud and gingerly wiped his cheek. Cloud's face was as red as a cherry, Aerith had to suppress a blunt laugh to keep the mood right.

"Thank you." He said quickly to end the topic. He took a sip of water to stabilize himself and start another conversation, hoping that the distraction would help.

"The food is really good." Cloud complimented her.

"Thank you Cloud." Aerith smiled. "I hoped you would like it. I am sorry you have to go soon, there are so many other things I wanted to do for you." Her words were coaxed with seduction.

Cloud mentally facepalmed, she turned the topic back on him. He had to try again. "I'm sorry about the vase. I wanted to give it to you myself but I didn't have a chance to. I hope you liked it." Although he brought it up at this moment to try the diverge the subject, it was what he truly felt.

"I loved it." Aerith said genuinely. "You make me so happy Cloud, thank you for always thinking of me."

But her normal voice wouldn't last long, she reverted back to tempting him. "I just wish you didn't have to go, so I can show you what I think of you."

She did it again! With every attempt to change the theme thwarted, Cloud tried to focus on eating. Aerith could feel that she was close in convincing him. She had him hooked, all that was needed was to reel him in.

She smirked at what she planned to do. "On second thought, I'm not hungry." She stood up. "I'll go get the desert, be right back." She walked away, still making sure to move in a methodical rhythm. Cloud's mako blue eyes followed her until she was out of the room.

Cloud shook his head, his will was breaking. He never said no to his wife whenever she desired him for the evening, to do it when she was putting out all the stops felt impossible to him. He wanted to storm off with her for the rest of the night, but he couldn't. There was just too much on the line with his job. With newfound resolve, he regained his composure.

Aerith returned to the dining room, holding a bowl of strawberries and cream. She gently placed the dish in front of her and took her seat.

"Do you want to try some?" She asked, the inflection in her voice was the same as before.

"In a little bit." Cloud declined.

"I think I will." She took a strawberry and stirred it in the cream. The Cetra lowered her head and licked the tip of the fruit, her wanton green eyes looked up at Cloud the whole time. Her gaze petrified the blond, who looked on with his mouth open. His walls broke as fast as he rebuilt them.

Almost there. Aerith dipped the strawberry back in for more cream until there was an excess amount. She then raised it above her head and then took a bite, but not before some cream dripped onto the middle of her chest. She inwardly smirked, it was what she wanted to happen.

"Oops." She pretended that she wanted to pick the cream off of her, but she moved her hands sensually over it instead. The Cetra continued until it spread on her breasts. When finished, she then turned to her husband, with her hands still on her chest. "How should I clean this up Cloud?"

Whatever was left of Cloud's willpower eroded completely. "That's it!" He fidgeted for his phone to call his client. Aerith's eyes lit up, she knew she won. Cloud pressed the numbers on the phone so hard she thought he was going to punch a whole through it.

"Hello!?" Cloud said, anxiously.. "Yeah- the job later. Can't make it!" He didn't wait for a response but turned off the phone and threw it over his shoulder.

"Let's go." He directed at his wife. He jumped out of his chair and approached her.

"So you're really staying?" Aerith asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I want you so much right now. I can't leave." He hoisted her off the chair, supporting her naked body with his arms under her legs and back. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"But what about the food-"

"Forget the food." Cloud sped off a few steps with her until a thought came to him and they moved back near the table. "Okay, take the strawberries."

Aerith grabbed the bowl and Cloud carried her upstairs to their bedroom. It was in the early evening that their anniversary really began. Sleep was an unknown concept to them, for they stayed up the whole night, showing each other how they really felt.


	10. Puppy Love

Another beautiful spring afternoon at the Midgar Elementary School. It was Friday and the kids were given recess before leaving for the weekend. Three boys took turns shooting a basketball at the court.

"Cloud you comin' wit us to play games later?" Barret asked, who dribbled the ball before making a shot.

"I have plans…" Declined the blond-haired youth. Cloud took the ball and made an attempt himself.

"Aw c'mon Cloud, that's the third time now!" Cid, the third boy, remarked. "Are you avoiding us?"

Cloud was intent on keeping it a secret. He knew his friends would just make fun of him if they knew. "I'm just busy, that's all."

"Wait a minute," Barret stood still and eyed his friend. "You're gonna see Aerith again aintcha?"

Cloud's eyes widened. Maybe if he kept denying it they would just let it go? "I…don't know what you're talking about." He averted their intrigued gazes as he spoke. A reddish hue began to appear on his face.

Barret didn't buy it. "I knew it! Yer gonna go see her later."

Cid gave Barret a questioning look. "Who's Aerith?"

He darted his eyes back to Cid. "You know her. The girl that sits in the front row. The one with the pink ribbon. I saw them eating ice cream together the other day."

Cid nodded, his friend jogged his memory. "Oh yeah…" He then scowled at Cloud. "You're not playin' games to see a girl!?"

An embarrassed Cloud looked on at his two friends at disgust. They reacted exactly how he thought they would. "She's not just any girl. She's really nice, and her eyes are pretty." He hoped that would be the end of it. He tried to play basketball just like before. He picked up the ball and passed it to Cid, but his friend threw himself out of the way, as if his life depended on it.

"Don't you wanna play anymore?" Cloud was baffled at his actions.

"You touched it." Cid noted, pointing at the ball. "It has cooties on it!"

Cloud was frustrated. They weren't going to let this go. He wanted to walk away from his friends. Before he did just that, the school bell rang. At least now he had an excuse.

"Bye guys." Cloud turned and walked away, thinking that the bell saved him from their ridicule.

"Bye Cloud." Barret said in a mocking tone. "Wouldn't want to keep Aerith waiting."

Cloud stopped for a second, there was no respite for him after all. Nevertheless, he gathered himself and continued to walk away, ignoring Barret.

But his friends were up to the challenge! "That's right!" Cid chimed in, "Don't be late for your giirrrlfriend."

Barret and Cid's laughter could be heard throughout the entire school. The only thing that halted it was themselves; they decided to sing for their poor friend. "Cloud and Aerith, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The only saving grace was that they didn't follow him. Cloud was eventually out of earshot from their taunting, but he was still mad at them. When he comes back on Monday they will still remember, they will probably add some friends in for the fun. But in the end, the humiliation was worth it. Anything he had to go through was worth it as long as it was for her.

He walked to the entrance of the school and saw her, wearing the pink dress that matched her ribbon like she always did. When she saw him, she spared him a smile.

"Hey Cloud!" She waved at him.

"Hey Aerith." Cloud approached her. He relaxed, the torture from his friends now a distant memory.

"Do you want to go to the park?" Cloud asked.

"Sure. Let's go!" Aerith beamed.

Cloud reached for her hand to hold it. When he did he noticed behind Aerith that there were two girls laughing at them. He recognized them as Aerith's friends, Tifa and Yuffie. He was reminded of his friends and realized that Aerith went through the same thing.

The two held hands and walked to the old park. The other kids preferred to play at the new playground at Midgar Elementary, leaving them alone. They preferred this though, for they didn't have to explain themselves to their friends.

Aerith gazed at the grey animal slide with excited green eyes. Her hand parted from Cloud's as she ran to it. "Cloud over here." She called for him before she climbed on top of it. He listened to her and made it up as well, reuniting his hand with hers.

"Why don't you ride the slide?" He suggested.

"I like the view, it feels so high up here." She replied, shuffling her feet. They were able to see their school. The people were too far away to recognize them, but there were many. They then focused their attention on the adults riding their cars and walking about. It was rush hour and they all looked busy to them. It sparked a thought in Aerith.

"Cloud, what do you want to do when you grow up?" She asked. Cloud rested his head on his free hand and pondered. It was apparent he was still thinking about it, so Aerith felt the need to go first.

"I want to do something with flowers." She said exuberantly, looking upward. "I want to see other places and see what kind of flowers they have. Or if they don't have any, I can grow flowers there for the people."

The way Aerith spoke about it wasn't lost on Cloud, her words were coated with inspiration. "You should do that." He turned to her. "You'll make the world pretty. And smell good too."

"Your turn Cloud." Aerith directed it back to him. "What do you want to do?"

"I think I want to be some kind of soldier." Cloud started. "Like a hero, or someone that would protect people."

Aerith looked at him with curiosity. "Like a bodyguard?"

He paused until it made sense to him. "Yeah, like that."

The little girl developed butterflies in her stomach at what she was about to ask. "Do you want to be my bodyguard?"

"Okay. But if it's my job, it can't be free." Cloud joked.

"let's see…" Aerith looked down trying to think of something to give to him. When an idea popped up, her head shot right back up. "Oh I know! How about if I kiss you?"

Cloud's heart rate multiplied tenfold. To kid around was one thing, but she was serious.

"Okay, it's a deal." Cloud said, trying his absolute best to hide his nervousness.

Aerith's attention on him deepened. "You don't believe in cooties right?"

Cloud thought about his friends from earlier and Aerith's friends. He thought about the humiliation from them and the embarrassment and alienation that came with it. It made him angry.

But then he saw her smile. It was something he wanted to treasure. It occurred to him how happy he was with her and how much he wanted it to stay that way.

It was no contest. He confidently replied, "No I don't."

"Well, alright then…" Aerith closed her eyes. Cloud saw her leaning closer and shut his eyes as well. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. When she finished she slowly backed away. They blushed at each other in silence, realizing that it was the first kiss for both of them. They stayed this way until Aerith saw the sun setting.

"It's going to be dark soon." She reluctantly admitted. "I have to go home or my mom will ground me."

"Okay." Cloud understood. "Do you want to get ice cream tomorrow?"

"Sure!" She made her way down off the slide. "Don't forget. A deal's a deal. You have to protect me always now."

"I won't." Cloud nodded, jumping down next to her. He held her hand again and started to walk to her house.

"Cloud, you live the other way." Aerith was confused. They usually parted ways whenever they were done at the park.

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard, right?" Cloud quipped. Aerith became giddy at the thought that the boy she liked was serious in being there for her. She let him take her home.

After Aerith walked inside the house. Cloud took a moment to remember the kiss, touching his lip. He proudly smiled and raised a fist out of joy. The jubilation was short lived however, it hit him that he may not make it back home by nightfall.

So the boy ran for home as fast as possible, hoping that he doesn't end up getting grounded himself. For what kind of bodyguard would he be if he couldn't leave his house?


End file.
